PAL Planes Cleared of Faulty Pumps

18th Sep 2002

Philippine Airlines` fleet of Boeing 737 and 747 aircraft are not equipped with the fuel pumps identified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration as a potential hazard, local aviation authorities have found.

An inspection by the Air Transportation Office on Monday (Sept. 16) found the flag carrier`s 10 B737 jets - seven Series 300s and three Series 400s - to be “airworthy.”

“Therefore, we are giving these planes a clean bill of health,” ATO chief Adelberto Yap was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, PAL`s four B747-400s passed a similar inspection conducted by the local unit of the world-leading German aircraft maintenance provider Lufthansa Technik.

In a report to PAL, Rainer Conrads, vice president for technical services of Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP), said that “no affected fuel pumps” are installed on the airline`s B747-400 aircraft.

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Conrads said that LTP, which maintains PAL`s entire fleet, did not have such fuel pumps in its stocks and that it had no intention of ordering them.

He also confirmed that none of PAL`s B737 jets was covered by the U.S. FAA warning since the faulty pumps were installed only in series models not operated by PAL.

Last August 30, the FAA issued an emergency advisory to airlines worldwide after discovering that the pumps in particular aircraft types were liable to chafe and explode in the rare event that the fuel tanks run dry.